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It's not looking good for the Iraqi dinar revaluation.

For those just tuning in, millions of Iraqi dinars have been sold to "investors" hoping to make a windfall when, and if, the currency is revalued in their favor. No one knows how many people have been sold this tale of overnight wealth since the dealers for these notes are not regulated.

As you've probably noted from the headlines, Iraq is in bad shape. Sunni insurgents have taken most of the northwestern part of the country; the central government and army are weak, abusive and indecisive; and the Kurds are asserting their virtual autonomy in the Northeast.

Iraq is basically enmeshed in a brutal civil war without any cohesive social fabric to pull it back together. Except for some military advisers, the U.S. and Western powers are staying out of the country. Iraq could very well break apart into three separate regions dominated by Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. No one is sure what's going to happen next.

Where does that leave the untold thousands holding dinars who are awaiting their payday? The endgame may be near for this currency, which probably won't survive if the country breaks up.

Professor Cory Bunting, director of the Capital Markets Center at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, is not optimistic. Prof. Bunting has been watching the situation and offered me this blunt advice:

"In my opinion, the dinar will never 'revalue' to the rate the pro-dinar pundits lead people to believe. In fact, it remains to be seen if the country of Iraq, as we know it today, will even exist in its present form in 10 years time. Many people who currently hold dinars probably view them as a 'sunk cost' or a call option on a dream.

If I held dinar, I would sell them back to a currency dealer. You will likely lose about 20% as the bid price ( to sell to dealers) is far below what the price is to buy from them.

As an investor, I would just take the 20% loss and move on rather than sit on a stack of paper that will likely be worth nothing, or nearly nothing, in ten years time. That said, taking losses is hard for most people and hope springs eternal that wealth is just around the corner."

What, sell a pile of potentially lucrative lottery tickets? Who in their right mind would want to do that?

The reason it's so difficult to take a loss in dinar is that 1) they were oversold by currency dealers, 2) people believed the "story" that the dinar would be revalued upward, 3) they didn't cost much to begin with and 4) losses are felt twice as intensely as gains. No one likes to take a loss and move again, although it's the rational thing to do.

The front of the 20 dinar bill. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Although no regulator knows how many investors hold the dinar, Prof. Bunting estimates "that there are around 40 trillion Dinar in circulation and only about 5 trillion actually reside in Iraq so the rest in held by dinar speculators around the world. I guess you could say that the Dinar is Iraq's largest export product)."

"The Iraqi dinar scheme has been surprisingly long-lived, giving federal and state regulators and nonprofit consumer groups time to issue warnings about the dinar and other foreign currency investment opportunities. Take them seriously

Read the prospectus or offering document. You should receive a written statement that provides all relevant information about the investment and the company selling it, including the company’s history, operations, financial conditions, and key personnel. No prospectus? Don’t invest.

If I buy the investment, then what? Who is going to buy the dinars you have in a drawer in your house? While there are no guarantees in the return of, say, a mutual fund that invests in stocks, you can at least sell it the day after you bought it."

Even though I've been warning about dinar buying for years, I have no idea what the Iraq Central Bank will do with this currency. It may very well revalue it in the favor of those who hold it. But it has to go through a lot of anguish and bloodshed before that happens.